Rangers v Celtic Betting Tip Celtic – 23 September 2017

Celtic to take derby spoils on Saturday

Scottish Premiership Betting Tips

Saturday 23rd September 2017 Kickoff:1200hrs Rangers v Celtic Football – Scotland – Scottish Premiership Ibrox plays host to the first Glasgow derby of the season on Saturday as Rangers host Celtic. Rangers fans will still be bitter having failed to get a win against their rivals in any of the six meetings between the two last season and will be looking to put that right at the first time of asking this time around. For Celtic it’s all about cementing their position as the best team in Scotland and making a statement against a team who feel they can challenge them this term. These games rarely pass without incident and Saturday promises to be another intriguing clash.

Pedro Caixinha has been in charge at Rangers for just over six months but he’s not taken much time to make a name for himself. A number of interesting statements have propelled the Portuguese coach into the spotlight but it should not detract from how his team is performing on the park. Rangers were humiliated at times last season and many fans were fearing the worst when losing to a team from Luxembourg in the first round of Europa League qualifying this term. To their credit, the club have rebounded somewhat and are beginning to look more coherent the longer the campaign goes. Their six league games thus far have yielded three wins and two draws, with their sole defeat coming at home to Hibs in the second game. The new signings are beginning to find their feet and having reached the semi finals of the Scottish League Cup with a 3-1 win over Partick Thistle in midweek, confidence will be high coming into this one. Caixinha has to find a way to ensure his team are more competitive against the champions than they were in both games under his stewardship last season, which is the acid test.

It’s been business as usual pretty much for Celtic this season as they waste no time in continuing their excellent form from last term. Brendan Rodgers’ men powered their way to a domestic treble and done so undefeated in all domestic games. Wednesday’s win over Dundee in the quarter finals of the League Cup means it is now 56 games without defeat in Scotland for the Hoops, which is a phenomenal record by anybody’s calculations. That run means that Rodgers is yet to taste defeat in a domestic game and the last place he’ll want to lose that record is at Ibrox on Saturday. Rodgers will be able to welcome back Moussa Dembele and Jozo Simunovic following both players being rested for their game in midweek and the two will be tailor made for this sort of occasion. The Celtic boss also has the enviable task of being able to pick from a number of inform midfielders who are desperate to start the game. With it being the second of three big games this week, it could be that certain precautions are taken with a view to a massive Champions League game against Anderlecht on Wednesday, but you can be rest assured that they will be going all out for victory in this one.

It’s never easy for a coach who has to bring in a host of new players at one time and attempt to integrate them without losing much momentum but that’s the challenge which Caixinha has faced over the summer and into this new season. A total of 10 new players arrived at the club and it’s fair to say that some have been more effective than others. Bruno Alves was the most high profile signing and his experience has been a real strength in marshalling the defence. Alfredo Morelos has arguably been the biggest surprise with the Colombian netting eight goals in as many games. He will provide the biggest threat for Rangers going forward but he’ll also be the first line of defence and that’s where Rangers were found lacking in the games against Celtic last season. There’s no doubt the spine of the team is stronger but that will only get them so far in this one, they must show that extra bit of quality as well.

Celtic have found their scoring boots domestically in the last three games, finding the net 12 times in that time. The goals have been shared around the team as well and that’s been a constant feature of Rodgers’ time in charge. With the quality they have in those areas – Scott Sinclair, Patrick Roberts, Tom Rogic and James Forrest to name but a few – it’s almost guaranteed they will create chances and it will be a matter of taking them, something they were able to do last season against this opponent. There may be a slight concern at the other end as they’ve been unable to name a settled defence since the start of the season.

Rangers v Celtic Betting Tip

These games are always hotly anticipated and with Rangers having made a decent start to the new season, they appear quietly confident of being the first Scottish team to defeat a Celtic side managed by Rodgers. That confidence is partly down to the fact they are at home and will be backed by a ferocious home support. Celtic were able to get the better of them in five of their six meetings last season, though, and are clicking into the gear at just the right time.

I alluded to the slight concern that Celtic have in defence but was we’ve seen so many times before under this coach, the best form of defence is attack. Celtic have a plethora of quality throughout the squad and the philosophy of the players is such that it’s all about dominating the ball and controlling the tempo of the game. That’s where I see the difference being against on Saturday and the visitors extra quality should be telling. It may not be a repeat of the 5-1 score line they inflicted on Rangers in April, but I see them having too much for their hosts again.

Celtic 79/100 @ Marathon Bet